Udhayan (film)

Udhayan is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Chaplin and produced by Prabhakaran. The film stars Arulnithi (in dual roles) and Pranitha in her Tamil debut, with Santhanam in a supporting role. The film was released on 29 June 2011.

Cast

 * Arulnithi in dual role as Vasanth and Udhayan
 * Pranitha as Priya
 * Bhanu Sri Mehra as Manimegalai
 * Santhanam as Mukundan
 * Ashish Vidyarthi as Vasanth and Udhayan's father
 * Ravi Shankar as Appu
 * Manobala
 * Pandu
 * Swaminathan
 * Singamuthu
 * Krishnamoorthy
 * Bava Lakshmanan
 * Sriranjani as Priya's mother
 * Vatsala Rajagopal as Vasanth and Udhayan's grandmother
 * Yogiram
 * Ganeshkar as Raj Kumar
 * Sugunthan as Driver
 * Debi Dutta as an item number

Production
The film was launched on 17 January 2011. The film featured Arulnidhi in dual roles for first time.

Soundtrack
The songs were composed by Manikanth Kadri in his Tamil debut. The lyrics were written by Vaali, Yugabharathi, Annamalai, Surya and Muthamil.

Critical reception
The film opened to negative reviews from critics after its theatrical release on 29 June 2011. A reviewer from Behindwoods.com noted "Udhayan is predictable and has nothing extraordinary to offer." A critic from The New Indian Express noted "with a story-line that is oft-repeated and predictable, it's a passable entertainer". The Hindu wrote "Settling scores in a bloody fashion can get you nowhere says Udhayan (U/A). It has been said several times before but director Chaplin, a Pandiraj associate, who takes off on his own for the first time tries to impart the same with a storyline that juxtaposes sickle culture of the small town with the values of an average city household, thus keeping viewer interest alive". The film did not perform well at the box office.